Compound locomotive



Y No. 623,735.'

w M m. u f m 111 -i mwlu J PLAYER CUMPUUND LUCUMUTIVE. i (Appumon med Jan. 24, 189s.)

(no man.) l

(No Modal.)

Patented Apr. 25, |899.

.1. PLAYER. COMPUUND LOCOMOTIVE.

(Application led Jan. 24, 1898.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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NMdl) No. 623,735. Patented Apr. 25, |899.

- YJ. PLAYER.

CDMPUUND LDCUMOTIVE.

(Application flied Jan. 24, 189B.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

|lllllllllllllllllmlm- Nr'rnn STATES JOHN PLAYER, OF

ToPEKA, KANSAS.

COM POUND LOCOIV'IOTIVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters :Patent No. 623,735, dated April 25, 1899. Application filed January 24, 1898. Serial No. 667,7-27. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOHN PLAYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Topeka, in the county of Shawnee and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compound Locomotives, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has particular reference to the valve mechanisms which control the admission and exhaust of steam to and from the cylinders, and more especially to the means by which the travel of the valves may be changed independently or simultaneously.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, economical, and efficient mechanism for adjusting the travel of either one or both of the slide-valves and cut off the supply of steam to the cylinders at desired points; and -the invention consists in the features, combinations, and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical sectional elevation of a portion of a locomotive constructed in accordance with my improvements; Fig. 2, a plan View of the same; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the link and valve-operating mechanism; Fig. 4E, a sectional view of one of the details hereinafter described; Fig. 5, a broken detail view of a portion of the mechanism, showing the means by which the length of travel of one of the valves is changed; and Fig. 6, an elevation, partly in section, taken on line 6 of Figs. l and 3, looking in the direction of the arrow. In the art to which this invention relates it is well known that in the use of compound locomotives the load varies between the starting-point and destination ofthe train, which is due to a variety of causes, particularly to the attaching or cutting out of cars and to the variations in thegrade. Itis advisable, therefore, that some means be provided by which the travel of the slide-valve which controls the admission and exhaust of fluid under. pressure to and from the high-pressure cylinder be changed-that is, increased or diminished-for the purpose of admitting steam for nearly the entire travel of the piston or for a very small portion thereof, so that the variations in load may be compensated for and the fuel used economically. The principal object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a compound locomotive with independentvalve mechanisms and so arrange them in connection with operatin g mechanism that the travel of one or both of such valves may be adjusted independently or simultaneously.

In illustrating and describing my invention I have illustrated one type of a locomotiveviz., that known as the tandem locomotive-in which the highpressure and lowpressure cylinders are arranged in tandem relation and the operating-pistons secured to a single rod, which extends axially through the low-pressure cylinder and into one end ofthe high-pressure cylinder. I have shown this for purposes of clearness and to avoid ambifruitxT and to disclose m invention in one.

form in which it may be embodied; but it will be understood that the invention may be applied to any of the well-known types of compound locomotives, and I do not desire to be limited strictly to the particular type I have illustrated and will hereinafterdescribe any more than is pointed out in the claims, as it will be seen that with slight changes or modilications in the connecting mechanisms and arrangement of the parts the invention may be applied to various styles of compound locomotives. Furthelgl have only illustrated and describedY those parts .or portions of alocomotive which I consider to be new and in connection with so much of that which is old in the art.- that is necessary to disclose my invention in order to enable those skilled in the art to practice the same.

`In construct-ing my invention and applying it to a locomotive A high and low pressure cylinders A and A2 are provided and secured to the frame of the enginein any of the usual manners. These cylinders are provided with operating-pistons a and a2, reciprocatingly mounted therein and secured to a single piston-rod B, which extends axially through the low-pressure cylinder and into the high-pressure cylinder. This piston-rod is secured at one end to a cross-head C, which is attached by means of the connecting-rods c and c to the driving-wheels D and D' of a locomotive. To control the admission and exhaust of iiuid or steam under pressure to and from the cylinders, slide-valves E and E are provided IOO and reciprocatingly mounted in the usual steam-chests e and c'. These slide-valves are so arranged that by their reciprocations they cover and uncover the ports and passages e2 and c3 in the high-pressure and low-pressure cylinders, so that the steam is permitted to enter at one side or the other of the pistons and exhaust from the opposite side and reciprocate the pistons and consequently operate to move the locomotive.

It is necessary oftentimes to compensate for the variations ot' load or grade to change the travel of the high-pressure valve for the purpose of changing the amount of initial pressure and not to disturb the travel ot' the low-pressure valve. In order to accomplish this result, a rock-shaft G is provided and vibratingly mounted in a rocker-box g, which is secured to the frame of a locomotive in any usual manner. The rock-shaft is provided with a downwardly-projecting arm g', which carries a link-block g2 and is adjustably engaged with the slot 71. of the link II, so that as the link is operated by means of the tumbling-shafts II' the rock-shaft is vibrated. In order to transmit the vibrations of the rock-shaft to the stems e4 and e5 of the high and low pressure valves, the rock-shaft is provided with upwardly-projecting leverarms G' and G2. The lever G is connected with the stem of the low-pressure valve by means of the valve-rod g3, and the upwardlyprojecting lever-arm G2 is connected with a sliding rod G3 by means of the valve-rod g, This sliding rod is connected with the stem ot` the high-pressure valve by means of a spanner gi. It will thus be seen that as the link is operated by means of these tu mbling-shafts the 4rock-shaft is vibrated and through the intervening mechanism the steam admitted to and exhausted from the high and low pressure cylinders. The upwardly -projecting rocker-arm G2 is slotted and the valve-rod g4 adjustably connected therewith, so that it can be raised or lowered on such rocker-arm. When the engagement or the position of the valve-rod on the rocker-arm G2 is changed, it will be seen that the travel of the valve for the high-pressure cylinder is also changed, for the reason that the arc through which the valve-rod travels is increased or diminished.

It is often desirable to change the travel of the high-pressure valve without stopping the locomotive, or, in other words, to provide mechanism by which the engineer may change the travel ot' the high-pressure valve from the cab of the locomotive while the locomotive is under headway7 In order to accomplish this result, one of the rocker-arms G2, as above described, is slotted and the valve-rod g" adjustably or movably secured therein by means of the block-pin y0. A bellcrank I is provided, one end of which is pivorally connected to the block-pin of the valverod by means of the link t'. The other end ot the bell-crank is connected by means ot` a reach-rod I with a movable lever (not shown) in the cab of the locomotive. It will thus be seen from an inspection of the drawings, particularly Fig. 3, that when the reach-rod is pulled backward in the direction of the arrow the block-pin will be lowered or move toward the center of the rock-shaft and the arc through which the valve-rod operates consequently lessened, and consequently diminishes the travel of the valve in the high-pressure steam-chest. A reversal of this operation raises the valve rod block-pin and increases the length of the arc through which the valve-rod operates, and consequently increases the travel of the high-pressure valve.

From an inspection of Figs. 3 and 5 it will be seen that the link is in position to operate the valve-rods and their valves in one directionthat is, to operate the piston so as to move the locomotive forward or backward. As it is shown in the figures it is in position to travel forward. It will be seen, however, that the link may be moved vertically on the link-block and attached to the lower rockerarm, so as to vary its engagement therewith, and as the engaging position oi' these parts is changed the throw of the rockerarm is changed, and consequently the travel of both valves for the high and low pressure cylinders is changed simultaneously.

While I have described my invention with more or less minuteness as regards arrangement and details of construction and as being embodied in certain precise forms, I do not desire to be limited thereto unduly or any more than is pointed out in the claims. On the contrary, I contemplate all proper changes in form, construct-ion, and arrangement, the omission of immaterial elements, and the substitution of equivalents as circumstances may suggest or necessity render expedient.

I claimv l. In a locomotive of the class described, the combination of a high and low pressure cylinder, a reciprocating piston in each cylinder, a movable valve for each cylinder arranged to control the admission and exhaust of iiuid under pressure to and from the cylinder, and means for changing the travel of one or both the valves independently or simultaneously, substantially as described.

2. In a locomotive of the class described, the combination of a high and low pressure cylinder, a reciprocating piston in each cylinder, independent valves arranged to control the admission and exhaust of fluid under pressure to and from the cylinders, mechanism connected with a movable part of the locomotive and with the valves to operate the same, and means for changing the position of the valve-operating mechanisms and consequently the travel of one or both of the valves independently or simultaneously, substantially as described.

In a locomotive of the class described, the combination of high and low pressure cylinders, a reciprocating piston in each cylinder, an independently-movable valve for each cyl- IOO IIO

inder arranged to control the admission and exhaust of steam from the cylinders, link mechanism, a rock-shaft adjustably connected with the link mechanism, and means connecting the valves with the rock-shaft, arranged to be adjusted and change the travel of one or both valves independently or simultaneously, substantially as described.

4. In a locomotive of the class described, the combination of high and low pressure cylinders arranged in tandem relation, a reciprocating pistonin each cylinder, a piston-rod connecting the pistons with a crosshead, a cross-head, a slide-valve for each cylinder arranged to control the admission and exhaust of fluid under pressure to-and from the cylinders, link mechanism, a rock-shaft provided with a depending rocker-arm adj ustably connected With. the link mechanism, valve-rod mechanism connecting the rock-shaft with each of the slide-valves, and means for adj ustably connecting one of the valve-rods With the rock-shaft whereby the travel of one valve may be changed independently of the other, substantially as described.

5. In a locomotive of the class described, the combination of high and 10W pressure cylinders arranged in tamdem relation, a reciprocating piston in each cylinder, a reciprocating cross-head, a piston-rod connecting the pistons with the cross-head, a reciprocating valve for each cylinder provided with a valvestem, link mechanism, a rock-shaft adjustably connected with the link mechanism, a sliding rod connected with the stem of the high-pressure valve outside of the steam-chest and valve-rods connecting the stem of the lowpressure valve With the rock-shaft andthe slide-rod of the high-pressure valve with the rock-shaft, and means for adj ustably connecting the high-pressure-valve rod With the rock-shaft to change the travel of the highpressure valve independent of the low-pressure valve, substantially as described.

6.V In a locomotive of the class described, the combination of high and low pressure cylinders,a reciprocatingpiston in each cylinder, a cross-head, piston-rod mechanism connecting the pistons with a single cross-head, rockshaft mechanism, link mechanism, means connecting the link and rock-shaft mechanism together,valve-rods connecting the valves With the rock-shaft, means for adj ustably connecting one of the valve-rods With the rockshaft mechanism, and means connected Iwith the adjustable valve-rod and leading into the cab of the locomotive for changing the position of the valve-rod on the rock-shaft from the cab of thelocomotive independently of the other valve-rod, substantially as described.

7. In a locomotive of the class described, the combination of high and loW pressure cylinders arranged in tandem relation, a reciprocating piston in each cylinder, a cross-head, a piston-rod connecting the pistons with the cross-head,a reciprocating slide-valve for each cylinder to control the admission and exhaust of steam to and from the cylinder, a valvestem for each slide-valve, link mechanism, a rock-shaft adj ustably connected with the link mechanism, a valve-rod connecting the stem of the low-pressure slide-valve with the rockshaft, a valve-rod connected with the stem of the high-pressure valve and adj ustably connected With the rock-shaft, and means leading to the cab of the locomotive and connected with the adjustable valve-rod to change its engagement With the rock-shaft and vary the travel of the valve, substantially as described.

JOHN PLAYER.

Vitnesses:

THOMAS F. SHERIDAN, ANNIE C. COURTENAY. 

